Long Way Home
by MachineGunJames1
Summary: Three years after the defeat of Sosuke Aizen, Stark Change finds himself in another brand new world. Alone, he faces new challenges that may prove too much. Will his friends on the other side come to his aid? Or, perhaps he'll make some new ones that will. This is his adventure in Equestria as he attempts to keep his alien identity secret.
1. Chapter 1: A Divergence in Time

**Chapter 1: A Divergence in Time**

One thousand years passed. A full one thousand years of relative peace. Now, that time was over. Peace was on the verge of crumbling with a lone lunatic. Nightmare Moon had returned and stole away the sun princess. The very world would have been lost without just one single studious pony. This pony named Twilight Sparkle, a vividly shaded purple unicorn, had known the possibility of Nightmare's return. In turn, she knew just where their hoped lie.

In a mad gambit, Twilight and five other uniquely colored ponies put their lives on the line to stop the mad Alicorn. With their numerous acts of bravery, their new bond quickly became tempered steel. They found true trust in one another, something even the best of friends have trouble finding, all within a span of a single night. With their wills united, they found and faced the evil of the world. Life, however, isn't a fairytale. Sometimes it's cruel; sometimes it sets you up to fail no matter how much you try.

"It can't be." Nightmare Moon had stood tall against the hodgepodge of adolescent ponies. They were untrained, young, impulsive, and naïve. Nightmare Moon knew she couldn't be defeated by these wannabe heroines. The fastest of them couldn't match her on her slowest day. The strongest of them were comparable to an ant to an elephant. The most magically adept had nothing on her centuries of wisdom. Nothing should had made her take a step away from these ponies. But, she had. All because of six detestable, vial artifacts she believed were lost. These six ponies not only managed to find them, but they actually harnessed their magics, not once, but twice. She knew what happened; she had broken the rocks herself. To see them reform, to watch the hideous magic take form, she knew she had to do something.

"This is the power of our friendship Nightmare Moon!" Twilight Sparkle had boldly declared as the rainbow helix flowed into her. Her once violet eyes shone with a vivid rainbow before the magic seemingly capped. With on concussive blast of magic, a rainbow torrent of power descended upon Nightmare Moon, threatening to end her reign early once more.

"Not again you vial usurpers!" Anger surged through the Alicorn. Memories of her rightful throne being stolen from her; one thousand years away from her rightful kingdom. She refused to yield again. As time seemingly stood still for the dark queen, she called upon her deepest reserves of magic. For those living in ignorant bliss, if they were watching the stars, they would had noticed the dots fade away. Only one large celestial body radiated light nearly equal to the sun itself.

For the second time, she had called upon the aid of her stars to save her. They gave their magic for the queen just as time resumed. Nightmare threw everything she had at the consuming rainbow light. Titanic power met titanic power; the powers blasting out the sides of the castle walls as they collided. The clash was as if two trains crashed into one another. To any ghostly spectators watching, it would have looked as if Nightmare was moments away from being vaporized. The rainbow magics were nipping at the tip of her horn; her hazy dark blue torrent of magic managing to stop it in time. As the seconds passed, the rainbow light never made it closer to the night queen. Looking to the six hovering heroines, fatigue was quickly wearing on their bodies. The magic light emitting from their eyes were beginning to dim and even flicker. With each fluctuation, Nightmare gained traction. Further the heroine's magic became as the Alicorn struggled forward. It was a battle of wills, a battle Nightmare would never lose.

"AHHH!" It was her final push, an opening slightly larger than any before by not even a second. She took it and pushed with all her might. The rainbow helix of power surged backward by Nightmare's dark blue magic. The heroines had nothing left. The Elements had used every ounce of their magic reserves. The light from their eyes faded as they dropped in a heap on the floor. Each had just enough time to look and watch a torrent of evil magic rush to consume them. The Elements were useless; the ponies couldn't move. They gave everything they had.

But for some, that's still not enough. Some like Twilight Sparkle. She had found others she could call friends. Even if it was only for a single night, it didn't matter. These ponies had followed her knowing this could happen. They stood beside her until the end; that kind of loyalty deserved recognition. Twilight knew that. Her body was numb, but that was okay. She didn't need to stand. At the last second, she called a simple barrier spell. A spell that in all right should have just crumpled under Nightmare's magic. It didn't however. It came to a great cost, something Twilight understood before ever trying to cast the spell. The pain that engulfed her body, head, and most of all, her horn, forced shrieks from the deepest parts of her throat. Her hooves spasmed, digging into the castle floors to the point of bleeding.

It became a subconscious effort on Twilight's part to keep the shield up until the end of Nightmare's display of power. Once it was over, the roof and walls were peeled away, revealing the night sky. Nightmare Moon huffed at the surge of magic and adrenaline that destroyed a huge chunk of the castle and forest. If by some miracle, the very floor they stood on, be it deeply scarred, remained in one piece. Despite the carnage, however, only one thing had the lunar queen's eye: the six ponies who were indeed _not_ ash in the wind. It was unbelievable. Still, it was amusing to watch the biggest thorn in her side lay unmoving.

"Come on partner. Wake up." Applejack, the firm, orange earth pony shook. Despite her hard exterior, she acted with delicacy. In any other situation, no one would had believed seeing the farmer like this. Fluttershy, the butter yellow pegasus tried her best to look after her friends bleeding hooves. Pinkie Pie, the most jovial of the bunch had the sails taken right out of her. Her once pink and fluffy cotton candy-like mane was deflated as she hugged her unmoving friend. Rarity, a pristine white unicorn who had a heavy disdain for anything dirty didn't hold any reservation turning her attention to the blood seeping from Twilight's horn. She knew what this was; she had heard of it in foals tales. To see it actually happen to her newest friend was a cold, unbearable truth.

Rainbow Dash, a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane, had turned her attention to Twilight's prone form. Instead of crowding in further, she had turned her attention to Nightmare Moon. She had faith in her friends to take care of Twilight, but somepony had to stop Nightmare Moon. Shakily, she found her hooves. She gave her wings a test flap, pleased she had enough strength to at least distract the Alicorn.

"Alright girls, new plan," Rainbow Dash quietly voiced. The other's turned to see a fierce determination. "Get Twilight out of here. I'll distract big and ugly." The four obviously had severe reservations.

"Yer not doin' this alone." Applejack stated with finality. She was the second of the group to find the strength to stand.

"Yeah Dashie. We're–We're a team." Pinkie was conflicted between trying to stand up or just continue hugging her unconscious friend.

"It's not safe darling." Rarity voiced, her head resting against Twilight's. The blood was staining her coat, but this was the only thing she could do to help. That's if those fouls tales held any truth. Still, it was the only reference she had.

"We can run away together." Fluttershy didn't sound too confident, but she didn't want to see another one of her friends get hurt again. If Rainbow did stay behind, she didn't want to imagine what would happen to her.

"Girls, you have to go." Rainbow Dash didn't leave any room for negotiation. "The quicker you get out of here, the quicker I can make my great escape too. So go. I'm, tired and ready for a nap." She finished with a smirk to her friends before jetting to surprise the night queen. Applejack hated with everything she had to leave her friend behind, but she was the only one physically able to carry Twilight. The other's looked lucky to even carry themselves.

"Give 'er Tartarus girl." With a resolute huff, she hauled Twilight onto her back. Pinkie and Rarity aided Fluttershy to her hooves as they made their way down the crumbling tower.

Nightmare Moon was feeling good after her rush. Sure, she was more drained than she planned to be, but she had done it. She had _defeated_ those accursed stones. She had _punished_ the one who tried to imprisoner her back on the moon. It wasn't quite enough, but it was a start. For now, she'd wait for Twilight to recover before breaking her again. Hence why she was letting the other lesser ponies talk. It would have been foals play to just vaporize them, but that wouldn't had been punishment. No, that would have merely been _relief._ Besides, every moment those ponies took to talk, she got to recover. Each second she could feel her waning power return thanks to her moon. This was the true strength of an Alicorn.

 _So she's finally ready to play._ Nightmare knew just from the stance of the small blue pony what they were planning. No matter what they decided, it was a futile resistance, but it was amusing. Nightmare honestly couldn't decide what to do. Should she end this pony quickly in hopes of breaking the others? Maybe she should play with the blue one and make her her personal plaything? The hilarity of seeing their faces again as their own friend tried to kill them, that was a delightful thought. But no, a simple route was in order. The quickest way to gain obedience: mutilation. She'd drag the ragged remains of this pony back to town and demand their allegiance or meet the same fate. _That_ would be her plan.

A plan she could begin to enact now as the blue one flew right at her. Nightmare Moon was honestly impressed with her display of speed. Not because it matched her, no, she was leagues ahead of this pony. The fact she could even fly at all after being drained by the Elements spoke volumes of this ponies magical reserves. With a simple thought of back-hoofing this mortal pony, she quickly discarded it to teleport away. She didn't want to end this too early after all.

 _Buck! She's playing with me!_ This was at the forethought of Rainbow Dash as her right hoof soared for the night queen's temple. It would had been a devastating blow, but she seemingly waited to teleport at the last second just to mock her.

"Where are you looking _my_ little pony?" Rainbow couldn't even react before she felt her tail tugged, throwing her backward toward Nightmare. Rainbow's eyes trembled at seeing what the evil Alicorn was trying to do. Her head was leveled, trying to impale her onto the Alicorn's horn. She had just enough time to finesse herself to avoid the large appendage. Her hooves landed roughly on the ground behind Nightmare, catching herself from tripping and taking back to the air. She kept her flight pattern unpredictable as she turned back to face the evil queen, finding her just smirking confidently.

Nightmare stood watching the pegasus fly like a drunken bird. She laughed to herself, knowing the pegasus thought she was being smart. If she had wanted too, she could have finished this in seconds. Why rush though? She had waited a thousand years, what was another few hours? Minutes? She hadn't fully decided how long her patience ran. _Oh, she's finally turning back around?_ As the pegasus rushed back toward her, cocking her hoof back again, Nightmare let out a snort. All she did was twitch her wing and she was gone from the cyan mare's view. It didn't matter how fast a mortal pegasus was, they didn't compare to an Alicorn of any age.

Rainbow was ready to give one strong haymaker, but she was gone before her hoof could connect. Unlike last time, there was no accompanying flash of magic. Maybe her eyes just didn't catch it, but something in her gut told her how bad the situation escalated.

"What's wrong? Lose me again?" Rainbow whirled around just in time to block a heavy blow to her face. The force from her single hoof crashing into her double hoof guard left her vision blurry. She swore her left hoof was fractured. Using the momentum, she made some distance. She had to remember she wasn't trying to win, just stall. A feat more difficult for her than she cared to admit. Tack on the fact she _might_ be faster than her made her blood rage. Or maybe that was just the adrenaline?

"Oh, you have some training after all." Rainbow snarled at the obvious jab. "Tell me little pony, what do you hope to accomplish? The Elements are gone, your solar whorse is gone, your friend's magic is gone, so, why isn't your hope?" Rainbow Dash didn't respond. She already knew something bad happened with the Elements. They weren't around their necks any more. It was as if they weren't even there to begin with. Princess Celestia, she was sure Nightmare did something to her, but she knew she wasn't gone. They could save her. Now Twilight, she didn't expect that. Her ears nearly bled at her shrieking, but losing her magic, that wasn't possible, was it?

"So what?" Rainbow finally settled on. "Who cares if the Elements didn't work? We'll still kick your flank!" The triumphant smirk of Nightmare finally took a shift. In a way, Rainbow considered that a victory in and of itself. Though what replaced it was a nasty, hateful scowl. Maybe it wasn't so much a victory after all.

 _So that's what she thinks?_ Nightmare growled to herself. _Okay pony, I'm done playing._ All it took was a single flick from each of her wings to get right inside Rainbow's guard. Rainbow Dash didn't even have time to ready herself before she found spittle flying out her mouth, her body laying prone over her hoof. With a flick of magic, Nightmare grabbed the pegasus by the tail, flinging her into the awaiting castle floor. Not wasting a second, she descended upon her, hooves stomping mercilessly into the smaller mare. Blood and spit came from her mouth as the floor crumpled from the blow, sending both to the first floor.

Rainbow Dash didn't know what was happening. One second she was in the air, the next she was barely conscious back inside the castle. She scraped at the floor to find her hooves and look for her assailant. "Impressive." There was no snappy response from the cyan pegasus this time. Her movements were sluggish at best. Her body hurt too badly. Flying wasn't an option, both wings felt like they were lying over a searing stove. "So what to you plan on doing now?" She finally found Nightmare looking down on her from a collapsed staircase. What could she say? She hadn't hurt this bad since, well, ever. Maybe that one time she flew into a cactus was a close second.

"What do you think? I'm going to kick your flank." It was that bloody, confidant smirk that irked Nightmare Moon more than anything. She had literally stomped the air from this small pegasus, took away her _only_ means to fight, and she was _still_ resisting her. Enough was enough. This pony would be a prime example for the others. Once she dragged her corpse back to that backwater town, they'd all bow before her.

"Then suffer a warrior's death." Rainbow Dash didn't have a second to prepare as she felt her body being pulled in a way she didn't want. She found herself hurled across the room, through the exterior wall and back outside. It was only stubbornness that she was even awake right now. Any pony less and Rainbow believed they wouldn't even be alive right now. She thanked her parents for her hardy body, but at this rate, she wouldn't make it. She had to find a way to get away. Luckily, as dense as the Everfree was, she could make a getaway. Assuming, of course, nothing got too hungry in there.

"Don't even think about it pony." Just making it to her hooves, she couldn't do anything as she seen a dense ball of magic hovering just above Nightmare's horn. "I said suffer a warrior's death." The last thing Rainbow felt was a searing pain.


	2. Chapter 2: Fated Coincidence

**Chapter 2: Fated Coincidence**

A groan escaped a stallion's mouth as pain had flooded his body. His eyes had finally opened to be met with a glaring moon. His mouth felt irritably dry, so much so that he hadn't even noticed the changes.

 ** _Are you going to just lay there or are you going to start freaking out?_** The voice wasn't unfamiliar to the young stallion. It had been there for as long as he could remember. A partner is what he considered the voice. A mentally insane, hate-filled partner, but he had his own problems he knew the voice had to live with.

"What are you talking about?" He lifted his hoof up to wipe his eyes, accidently smacking himself in the nose. "Ow, what the hell?" Looking at his hoof, his brain made a very important mental connection: he shouldn't have a hoof. "What the fuck!?"

 _And there it is._ Another, distinctly feminine, voice sighed inside the stallions head. Normally, she would be the calming voice of reason for him, but today, even she was at a loss.

"What happened to us?! Why do I have hooves?! Why the hell can I see a snout where my nose should be!?" The young stallion flung himself upright, sitting on his haunches as he looked himself over. There were just a _few_ changes to his appearance that he didn't really care for.

 ** _Takes us back huh Stark? Just consider it like another etapa or something._ **Stark snorted at the voice. His other 'etapa' or form wasn't anything like this. _That_ at least made since when it happened. Turning into what looked like a small colorful pony was distinctly _not_ normal.

 _When have we ever been normal?_ As the feminine voice sunk in, he let out a sigh. This shouldn't had been any different from any other Tuesday. How many times had his life been turned upside down now? Enough. That was his general answer, but fate always through him curveballs.

"So Kusari, any ideas on what to do?" Stark asked his female voice. As the voice formulated a response, Stark decided to try this new body. Standing was natural, he just had to follow his new body's instincts. Walking was the same. He let his body guide him, slowly adjusting his mind to take over the effort.

 ** _Oi, Stark! Don't use me for this baby shit!_** Change, the foulmouthed other voice called in resignation. Change was linked to his body's basic instincts no matter what form it seemed to take. He was glad it applied here too.

"Better than falling on my face. Besides, I thought you'd like for me to stop thinking." Stark challenged fiercely. A normal occurrence between the two. Change snorted in response as Stark kept walking forward.

 _Perhaps Jinzen. Time flows quicker in here; it'll help get used to your new body."_ And Kusari came through from him again. First, he decided he wanted to do one thing before following her advice. It didn't take long, but he found a small pond. It looked clear enough to drink from, but despite how dry his mouth felt, he wasn't interested in drinking. No, bending down, he looked at his features in the reflection. He looked like a normal pony for the most part. He was brown with a slightly red tinted mane and tail. A glaring difference was his large hazel eyes. On his flanks, two pictures were present. It took a moment to make out what it was, but he finally made it out. A single white shackle with a black chain length. Stark snorted at the image, clearly understanding the meaning.

 ** _Assuming there_ is _anyone to explain it too._** Change had a point. Who knew where his Garganta threw him. It wasn't Hueco Mundo, that's for sure. **_Jumping into a_ white _Garganta probably wasn't too smart._** Stark didn't reply, his mood souring even more than his abrupt form change. If he wasn't so pissed back in Soul Society, he wouldn't had done it.

Shaking his head clear, he settled down next to the bank of the pond. Laying on his stomach, he felt himself drift into his mind. It wasn't long before he was standing before his two other spirits. Thankfully he was back to his normal human form. It appeared nothing could alter ones true self, thank god.

 ** _So, you going to do this or what?_** Stark regarded the white as paper version of himself, looking at him with a scowl. The largest difference between himself and Change was the sharp spikes jetting out the side of his head and a hardened mask fragment across his nose and forehead, connecting the two large protrusions. The fragment itself had diagonal yellow streaks breaking up the solid white. His eyes, like Stark's, were hazel, but looking closely a swirl of red laid under the surface.

 _I agree Stark. Being in this form isn't going to help._ Looking back to Kusari, She had long flowing black hair. Being well endowed, her black hakama showed a moderate amount of cleavage. Unknown to most, behind her flowing hair, she hid her blade unlike any other. Connected to the hilt looked to be laced chain lengths with each edge masterfully cut to provide a jaggedly sharp edge. As he looked into her blue eyes, he relented. Calling on his current physical form, he readied himself for a truly sickening spar with Change and Kusari.

 ** _Oh yeah. I'm so going to enjoy this._ **Stark knew he wasn't. This was going to suck. It always did. Before the two could go at it, Stark went taut. **_Oi, what's the hold up? I want to kick your ass already!_** With everything falling apart around him, he missed the obvious. _How_ he missed it was boggling. His mindscape, his inner world, was gone. His once vivid world, his own personal island, was replaced by a black void. It was just an empty space.

 _It has been like this since our arrival._ Stark regarded Kusari, fear jolting through him. Seeing and hearing his spirits, he had believed everything would be okay. But seeing his mindscape, his spirit's home, wiped away, planted a deep fear.

 ** _Yeah, yeah, I know. This place truly matches who you are now. Can we please beat the shit out of each other?_** Stark didn't like what had happened to his sanctum, but he would fix it. _They_ would fix it together. Taking a deep breath, he cleared his head and began to adapt his training to his new form.

To everyone but Stark, a number of hours had passed. The moon stood motionless despite the clearly morning hours. A group of ponies had went to confront the one responsible. It wasn't long before most of them were making a retreat.

"What do ya think Fluttershy, Rarity? How she doin'?" Applejack asked quietly. Fluttershy, being a caring veterinarian, understood injuries. Rarity, to Applejack, looked to understand Twilight's bleeding horn. An injury still oozing through Fluttershy's quick medical attention.

"We need to get her to the hospital soon." Fluttershy answered. It was a wonder how the normally timid pony took charge in medical crisis. The butter pony understood, if only subconsciously, she had to take charge with injuries. No one else knew as much as her, excluding maybe Twilight herself, but she couldn't be sure.

"I concur darling. I fear the worse for our friend if we don't treat her soon." Rarity had only heard foul tales of Twilight's horn injury. It normally happened to a brave prince who gave his magic to save the princess, the most romantic and loving –if not cliché– story. Twilight had done just that, giving all of herself to protect them.

"Alright girls, I'm going to kick it up then," Applejack grimaced. She hurt, but if Twilight was in that serious of a condition, then she could bare through the soreness. "Pinkie, sugarcube, you've been awfully quiet back there. How you holdin' up?" All heads turned to the back, expecting to see a depressed pink earth pony mauling behind. They were shocked by Pinkie's lack of presence. "Pinkie! Pinkie, where ya at?"

"Darling, now isn't the time for hide and seek. Come on out." The three ponies looked all around them, hoping Pinkie was attempting to lighten the mood with a prank. As seconds became minutes, their fear was growing to panic. "Oh Celestia, please no." Rarity was having a hard time holding together. Three of their friends were missing or hurt, likely a combination of the two.

"Applejack, you get Twilight to the hospital. Rarity and I will look for Pinkie, okay?" Applejack opened he mouth to protest, but the look in the shy little pegasus halted her. Somehow, during this crisis, she was the bravest of them all. The pony who was afraid of her own shadow was taking charge. In any other scenario, Applejack would have laughed. Instead, she nodded, and charged forward.

Fluttershy watched her new earth pony friend gallop away. Once she was out of view, she looked to the sobbing unicorn. Her pristine coat was no longer a bright white. Blood and mud matted her fur, her mane not fairing much better. Twigs were somehow lodged and tangled to the roots. Fluttershy knew she wasn't fairing much better, but it had to be harder on the unicorn.

"Rarity, we need to look for Pinkie. Once we find her, we can wait for Rainbow Dash at the hospital, okay?" Drying her tears, Rarity pulled herself back together, nodding to her close friend. "Okay, let's stay together. It'll be safer that way." Rarity nodded absently.

Pinkie Pie, the fun party pony that everyone loved wasn't having the greatest of days. She had giggled at the ghosties just fine. After what happened to Twilight, she couldn't even smile. Her, the best smiler around, couldn't smile. No, she felt sad, scared, and, dare she think it, angry. Her anger was firmly crushed and drowned in all her other emotions though. It was these cluster of emotions that pulled her from the group. She didn't know why, but something was drawing her away. It didn't feel scary or bad. A new Pinkie Sense perhaps? Whatever it was, she felt she had to go this way though.

Stark had finally woke up. Two days inside his inner world fighting with Change and Kusari. He looked up, finding the moon still high above in the sky. Quirking a brow, something was off about it. The longer he stared, the closer his epiphany felt. Then it hit him, the stars, they were gone. He couldn't help but think if his stay in his inner world went on longer than they initially estimated.

 _No, only a few hours should have passed. Something else must have happened._ Kusari was on edge, making Stark feel the same way. He didn't know what to think. For all he knew, where ever he was, the stars disappearing could be normal. Besides, what possible significates could missing stars have? His answer was lost when he heard rustling from a nearby bush. How distracted was he not to sense this presence until now.

Pinkie had walked through bushes, cattails, and a number of possible snake holes to get here. She was scratched up from head to toe from the unyielding thorns, but she had found what was drawing her. Her eyes widened as she looked at the stallion before her. Another pony, who looked even worse for wear than her, was staring back at her. There was so many things she wanted to do. For one, she wanted to sing her 'Welcome' song, but that didn't seem right. Instead, she settled on something else. Mustering up her strongest smile, she said, "Hi, my name is Pinkie Pie."

Stark was at a loss. One thing was answered: he wasn't alone. A pink pony with a long, straight, pink mane had pushed through the brush. When their eyes locked, he didn't know what to do. Thankfully, the other introduced herself first. A her, based on voice alone at least. When she smiled, and gave her name, one thing stood out: her streaming tears.

 ** _Look at that. Your ugly ass face made her cry in record time._** Change laughed inside his head. Ignoring him, Stark cautiously approached. Pinkie didn't move as he advanced. He took in her many cuts, bruises, and stains. It was clear this pony wasn't taking a midnight stroll.

As the stallion drawed near, Pinkie didn't know what to think. The stallion looked really hurt, but he kept walking to her like nothing was wrong. Fresh blood dripped from his mouth, a number of cuts lacing his face. His right foreleg had a deep gash as did the side of his barrel. Numerous other nicks were apparent, but he didn't look concerned in the slightest. Well, for his own wellbeing. He was focused completely on her.

"Oh, sorry, my name is Stark Change. Are you okay?" Those three words hit her like a brick. 'Are you okay?' How could she be okay? Her friends were hurt. Dashie was still fighting for them. The others were likely searching all over for her. She just hoped they got Twilight to the hospital. All the stress, all the fear, pain, everything, flooded her. Much to the stallion's surprise, she had latched onto him and began bawling.

Stark was at a loss. Out of nowhere this adorable pony had latched onto him and began crying her eyes out. He couldn't help but think if it was something he said. _Unlikely._ Kusari voiced. _Though it does look like she's had just as much fun as we've had._ As what Kusari said sunk in, he hugged the pony back. The first thought revolved around this pony being like him: lost and changed in an unknown world.

"Tell me what's wrong." He tried to soothe. He wasn't sure, but if she was just another victim, one that he may had brought with him unintentionally, then it was his responsibility to help her. She sniffled as she pulled away, Stark letting her settle back.

"I-I don't even know where to beg–" It was a huge surge of power that interrupted the smaller pink pony. Stark's eyes widened at the density of reiatsu being exuded. Lower level hollows would had been erased with the presence alone. "Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie had tried to take off toward the huge display of power, but Stark halted her with a firm pull to her tail. She pulled and tugged Stark's unmoving hoof before the power vanished.

"We have to save her please! She's my friend! She-She saved us. She said she'd come back." Pinkie felt her stomach drop. If Rainbow was hit with whatever that was, she didn't even want to think of what would happen. She just knew she had to get to her bestest friend. She would had been half way there if this stallion hadn't held her back.

"What's happening out there?" Pinkie continued to try and tug free before looking back at the stallion. He looked calm and collected, but that didn't mean anything to what was happening out there. Her friend could be–she might be–

"Rainbow Dash is distracting a big meanie while me and my other friends got Twilight to the hospital. Please, just let me go." Stark looked into the large, blue, tear-stained eyes of Pinkie Pie. If anything, she confirmed she wasn't like him for better or worse. Still, that didn't explain who, or what, could exude that much reiatsu. In the grand scheme, that didn't matter as much as saving this pony's friend.

"Okay Pinkie." Stark calmly answered. "I'll go get your friend, alright? But you have to do me a favor: get to the hospital. I don't know where it is, but I can find you, okay? Can you do that for me?" Pinkie obviously didn't expect that. She didn't know how she was going to do it, but she was going to do everything she could to save Rainbow Dash. It didn't matter if her legs didn't want to work, or that she just wanted to fall over and sleep. But, looking at the pony before her, she felt confident in _his_ confidence. Maybe this was why her Pinkie Sense had led her here, to meet this stallion.

"Thank you." She gave the stallion a quick hug, before running as best she could the way she came. He watched her leave, feeling her reiryoku run away from the source of that intense pressure.

 ** _So, we going to have some fun or what? I'm itching to feel that power for myself._** Change was just as enthusiastic as always. Stark, however, was more hesitant. Two days in his inner world wasn't nearly enough time to train everything. At best, he could only use the basics of his powers. Top it all off, his body had already taken a beating from the training.

 _Don't worry our reiatsu won't damage your body further. You weren't in a gigai coming here, so you're not in one now. This Pinkie, maybe even the inhabitants themselves, merely has the power to see us._ Even so, his potential was maximized by his extreme control and technique, both heavily depreciated by his new form.

"I'll just have to be careful and not take any chances." He could hear Change mocking him. Even so, he wasn't going to become arrogant. Pawing at the dirt, he felt his reiryoku flood into his feet, err, hooves. It was a normal sensation except that he had to channel it into all four legs. With a push from his right hind leg, he blurred away in Shunpo.

"How are you feeling now little pony?" Nightmare hovered over Rainbow Dash's prone form. "Please, don't get up on my account. Oh wait, you can't! You don't have any hooves to stand up on!" She laughed at the mutilated form of the cyan pegasus. In a final effort to save herself, she had thrown her hooves and wings up to block the sphere of magic. Suffice to say, it wasn't enough. Her legs were completely gone at different points. Her wings were nothing but charred skin and bone. The only possible saving grace was the magic cauterizing the wounds. She was still alive.

"Now, to haul you as you are or just take your head? Well, you are lighter than you were, that's for sure." She giggled at her gored opponent. "But I think just your head will have a strong affect. Nightmare Moon channeled a fine amount of magic into her horn, ready to turn it into a laser. All she would need is to do a single swipe and it'd be done. "Then again, the guilt your friends will have after seeing you like this will be worth letting you live." Rainbow Dash didn't respond. Her mind shutdown to save her from the agony. Releasing her magic, she reformed it into a basic levitation spell. It was time to claim what was hers.

It was an instant, she released her spell, and moved out the way. She regarded what nearly took her head off with disdain. A stallion, brown fur, reddish mane, and worst of all, a mere earth pony. The lowest of the races had nearly landed a blow on her. From what she could tell, he had already been in an altercation. A recent one at that. "You dare threaten me?" The stallion was trained, she could easily tell the way he held himself. Standing on his back hooves, His forelegs rested at his sides, clenched as if he was holding something. Despite his relaxed stance, she could tell the stallion didn't hold any obvious openings.

"So you're the 'meanie' Pinkie was referring too." Stark walked to the prone form of who he presumed was Rainbow Dash. He winced at seeing the pony's mutilated form. One look at the 'meanie', and he noticed the nubs sticking out her back was what was left of her wings. Luckily, her head wasn't lacking anything that should be there.

 _A pegasus, a creature from mythology._ Kusari explained. Stark nodded, agreeing. This world just kept getting more interesting. _This one seems to be a pegasus and unicorn. Be wary, we don't know what they're capable of._

 ** _Fuck that! I say we give her a taste of her own medicine._** As Stark watched the slow breathing of the pegasus, he actually found himself agreeing with his hollow. Leaning over the poor, broken pony, he did what little he could.

"Sorry, but Kidō can't do much for you." Stark spoke to the unconscious pony. If anything, it could heal some internal injuries enough to get her to the hospital. Putting his hoof to the pony's exposed side, the flowing reiatsu left him and rushed into the smaller equine. He watched as the pony's ragged breathing eased. He let a small smile form knowing he did what he could.

Nightmare Moon was awed. She wanted nothing more than to end this pony for interrupting her. A small part of her kept her from acting on those urges and she was rewarded with magic she didn't even know existed. How such a lowly species could harness such healing magics, went unknown to her. So she watched on intently, curious to how much this stallion could repair. To say she was underwhelmed would be an exaggeration.

"Is that all? I expected more. You've extended her life only a small margin." As the stallion looked back to her, she saw a very different stallion. Gone was the completely composed stallion. She watched the nuances of every adversary she faced and this pony was no different. His muscles flexed almost in spasms. He was angry and it was ready to burst from the edge. Oh, how she wanted to push his buttons. "And what good is that? Even if she did survive, her life is forfeit." In a twitch of her wings, she was upon the stallion faster than any could hope to rival. "Much like yours." She whispered gently into his ear before using her mighty earth pony strength to strike him. She didn't even notice him whispering something back.

"Bakudō number eight: Seki." Stark was upset, more so than he cared to admit. Killing wasn't a foreign concept to him, but torture always left him scalding. That's why he was limiting himself. Control and technique was his only aces compared to the other big shots he knew. He wasn't nearly as fast as the Goddess of Flash herself or as powerful as Kurosaki Ichigo. That left a niche only he could master; a complete balance. Now that balance was ruptured, making defeating this opponent a chore at best.

Still, even limited by his form, he could easily call one of the lowest levels defensive Kidō. A small, transparent orb formed right at the side of his hoof. While he wasn't anywhere near as fast as the Goddess, he was used to fast movements. This was no contest. With ease, he had the orb between him and his attacker.

Nightmare had this fight won in a single attack. Once her hoof made contact with the side of his head, he'd be dead. It be instant; he wouldn't feel a thing. A grace she didn't often give. As she felt her blow connect, she didn't even have time to register what was happening. It was as if the power was redirected right back at her leg two fold. It was so sudden, she nearly lost her composer. It didn't hurt her, but the shock was enough to make some distance. She stared at the stallion, unsure how he had come out of that fine. How he had done such a spell was unknown to her. One thing was for sure, she wasn't about to take him lightly again. She carefully watched the stallion point his hoof at her, ready for anything.

"Hadō number four: Byakurai." The lightning Kidō left his hoof with frightening speed and pinpoint accuracy. Aiming right between her eyes, he didn't even have time to frown before the larger pony vanished. She was fast, that was for sure. As he pivoted, he redirected another direct blow to his head with his own hoof. The 'meanie' appeared shocked, giving time for an attack of his own. It was a passing blow to her chin, but it drew a small trickle of blood. Stark watched as his opponent made some distance. She stared, fury radiating off her as she wiped the trickle of blood from her mouth. He steadied his breathing, feeling this fight was about to escalate. It wasn't a moment later before they vanished in high-speed movement.

 _How was this possible?!_ Nightmare Moon wasn't pleased at all. How she had come out of both exchanges the loser went beyond infuriating. Sure, she didn't suffer any serious injuries, excluding her pride. Well, no more. This stallion was about to see why she was the _Queen_. No pony trifled with her and lived to tell about it.

In a blur of movement, she noticed the stallion keeping up with her movements fluidly. As the two met, they locked on their back hooves, forehooves dancing, trying to find purchase on the other. Each blocked and tried to create openings to exploit just for the other to reciprocate. Passing blows, nicks, or minor cuts were either could score even with her rather large hoof length advantage. Nightmare grew tired of entertaining this charade. As the stallion went to intercept another one of her strikes, Nightmare used her magic to stop it. She smiled as her immense strength laid into the stallion's sternum. Blood and spit left his mouth as he was launched from his rear hooves and into a nearby tree, splitting it at the trunk. Nightmare smiled at the incapacitated stallion. Maybe now he'd learn his manners before meeting his fate.

 ** _You just got laid the fuck out!_** Stark could hear the howling laughter from his head. Oh how he knew Change relished in getting his butt kicked. Stark made a note to repay the jabs threefold later. As he laid with his back against the tree, he watched as the larger, sinister pony approach. He resisted the urge to fight back to his feet, the broken ribs a fine reason to do so.

"Is that all you can do? For an Earth Pony, I figured you'd last longer." Stark's irritation grew at the condescending smile his enemy held as she looked down on him. "Any last words before I end you?" Watching reiatsu gather at the tip of her horn, he could only think of one.

"Bala." Nightmare Moon couldn't even fathom the possibility of the stallion firing a ball of hazel magic from his mouth. It was by no means powerful, but her face stung as it exploded at the tip of her muzzle. Her magic fizzled as she tried to swat the dust from her eyes. It wasn't long before she bore down on the stallion. Or, she would had if the stallion had stayed put. The impossibility of it confused her. She had felt bones break on impact, let alone the damage his body had to take from the impact. So how was he moving? It didn't matter, she had to find him before–

"–march on to the south! Hadō number thirty one: Shakkahō!" Stark was playing a dangerous game and he knew it. This from wasn't nearly as resilient as his true soul form. The last hit nearly incapacitated him, and very well would had without his regeneration. The Bala gave him enough time to act as a diversion and complete the chant for his Kidō. If Tessai could see him now, using full incantations for such a low level Kidō. Even so, he had finished the spell and before the megalomaniac could even turn to meet him. The power of the red orb was astonishing. Like a rocket, it left his hoof, colliding with his target and erupting into a pillar of red reiatsu. The Kidō lived up to its name of Red Flame Cannon.

Stark wasn't sure, but he believed this was an equalizer. His ribs and back had mostly healed, thankfully no organs were too damaged from the breaks. A punctured lung would take much longer to heal. As he caught his breath, he watched the smoke clear, keeping his senses open. He'd hate to have this pony pull the same stunt he pulled off on her.

Nightmare Moon couldn't avoid it. This irritatingly persistent stallion had caught her with a powerful technique. It was a shame, for him, that she casted a barrier spell just in time. When the orb of magic hit her barrier, it was almost laughable, but the resulting explosion of power nearly had her shield crumple. How such a pony could use magic like this without a horn was impossible. He had to have something as a conduit, an artifact or something that could act as a horn. For the life of her, however, she couldn't see anything, feel anything that could be the result. Only the stallion and the dying pegasus were the only things her magic could touch.

"This ends now." Nightmare couldn't be bothered with such trivial questions. Who cared that this nobody stallion could cast magic without a horn? What did it matter when he was dead anyway? Without a thought, her magic reached out past the smoke and grabbed the stallion. She made perfectly sure to supply _sufficient_ force to keep him still. She watched as the stallion began to open his mouth only to abruptly clamp it shut. If one thing she learned, it was to keep his mouth locked. She didn't fully know if it was a quirk or a requirement, but the fact that he had spoken every attack lead weight that his spells were induced vocally. "Now, let's see how you do in the air." It was with a maleficent smirk that the two sored high into the clouds. Nightmare relished at the fear in the stallion's eyes. This felt like a fitting end to her. She didn't doubt the stallion had a trick to survive the fall, but the fear in his eyes told her she was right. Without any vocal declaration, his tricks were sealed. "Fear not my pony. I've heard the shock of falling kills much sooner than the impact itself." With a cackle, she released his body hundreds of feet in the air, keeping sure his mouth stayed shut.

"Stark was blown away. He figured this pony would had been injured in some way. But nothing, not even a scorched fur. Tack on the fact that she had grabbed him in a vise-like grip was worrying to put lightly. Her idea of a final coup de grâce wasn't much easier to swallow either. Any other day, it would had been a simple reiatsu platform to stand on, but now, in this form, he never done it before. Falling a few hundred feet proved to be an excellent incentive.

 _Relax Stark. Feel your reiatsu and guide it. Your power works the same as before, it's just finding a new path to guide it._ As he gravity pulled him, he cleared his mind, channeling his reiatsu into the tips of his hooves. Feeling with dense Reishi in the air, he gripped it, quickly halting his descent into a firm stop. Just as Kusari had said, it felt different in his equine form, but the premise was the same much like everything else. It would just take time to remaster air-walking. Focusing, he let his senses touch his muzzle, feeling the foreign energy clamping his mouth shut. With a jolt of reiatsu, his mouth was free.

Nightmare Moon waited passively, ready to feel the life of the stallion disappear. At first, she jumped at having her magic forcibly removed. For a brief instant, she believed the stallion had somehow survived. Her shock was unwarranted as his magic disappeared altogether. She chucked to herself, noting the impact must had spiked his magic before his death. It wasn't completely uncommon. Some unicorns, while few in number, could voluntarily call that spike. One being a certain purple unicorn. Of course the cost was permanent if they survived at all.

It was done. It had been more trying than she thought it would be, but it was downhill from here. She believed she deserved a moment of reprieve after everything that happened to her today. Turning around on her comfortable cloud, she sat down to rest. Everything from Ponyville to Canterlot was in view to her and it looked beautiful bathed in her moonlight. It was _hers_ now. She was sure there would be revolts and she was sure she'd crush them all, but the major hurtles she felt were over. Closing her eyes, she let out a tired sigh. "Equestria is mine."

"Bakudō number sixty-three," Nightmare's eyes shot open at the sight right before her. Somehow, someway, this pony was standing on air. Not on clouds like a pegasus, but pure air. He was alive, yet she couldn't feel his magic. Before her, her senses was telling her she was looking at a corpse. It was impossible to lock one's magic so thoroughly inside them. Even so, here he was, a completely cationic look splayed on his face. "Sajō Sabaku."

This level of Kidō was higher than Stark felt comfortable using as of yet, but he had an affinity to this particular Kidō thanks to Kusari. A slightly modified version from the original, the spell originated from his hoof taking on the shape of golden chains. A huge chunk of his available Reiryoku went into the binding spell. Nightmare couldn't even move before the chains captured her. "You _worm_!" She thrashed as she tried to remove the chains with her magic. Even with her mighty magic, once the last golden chain-link fused to the first, the spell was complete. "This will not hold me you cur!"

"Sprinkled on the bones of the beast." Stark pulled back his hoof as he watched Nightmare Moon struggle free. The chains seemingly reacting to her own magic, sealing it as much as her movements. Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring." Stark released the hold of his Reiatsu and began to push it outward into the tip of his hoof. Yellow static danced with power. Nightmare, in a desperate bid, began biting at the chains, desperate to free herself. "Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm." The static took form of a yellow sphere of electricity, buzzing the air around them. With deep focus, Nightmare channeled the deepest reserves of her magic, pushing it out. It was faint, but she could feel the chains giving. "The sounds of warring spears fill the empty skies." Faint sounds of chain cracked and Nightmare could move her hooves just slightly. One turned to ten, ten to dozens as the Bakudō failed. "Hadō number sixty three: Raikōhō!" Just as her final bond broke, a hoof of pure yellow electricity slammed into her face. A blood curdling scream echoed as she was launched from her perch to the unforgiving ground below. Stark panted, sweat dripping from his face, hooves shaking in strain. His footing nearly lost purchase with his Reiryoku nearly gone. Two full incantation Kidō above sixty back to back would put some of the top tier Shinigami down for the count. "Hopefully that was enough." With a sluggish Shunpo, he joined the fallen equine.

All Nightmare Moon knew was pain. Her brain was hit with what she could only imagine as dozens of lightning bolts. The force had sent her careening through her cloud and into a few trees of the Everfree below. The splinters were insult to injury as she felt he muscles spasm uncontrollably. Her magic worked to repair the damage, but it was slow going at best. She was exhausted. Any other time, this pony would had been child's play to her. Escaping the moon, and defeating the Elements had tired her out more than she realized.

 _St–p. Re–ase me._ Oh, she was much more tired than she realized if _she_ was awakening. "You are my tool. You gave into me, so hurry up and die already." She was too tired to sound threatening. As her magic worked, she couldn't even stand.

"Oh, so is that how it is?" Stark had landed silently behind the critically injured pony. He wasn't in much better condition. Using a stump, he sat down to rest his weary body. "You have a few extra voices in your head too, huh? Sometimes I wonder how I haven't went crazy, or, maybe I've always been crazy." Change assured it was the latter, but Stark ignored the jabs. "I'm curious, what's the other voice like?"

"You dare speak so casually to your queen?" Fueled by her anger, she tried to force her body up, but even her earth pony magic was drained. Her open threat fell on deaf ears as Stark walked around her. The two locked eyes, Stark the current victor. "Whatever you do now won't be enough to kill me. I can see right through you. You're too tired to do anything else. It'll be days before you recover; it'll only take me hours to be at my peak again." Stark couldn't believe at how quick her recovery would take, something he would had kept secret in her position, but he welcomed the openness. "So do your worst." With a sigh, Stark did the only thing he could think of.

Putting a lone hoof just shy of her eyes, he spoke, "Inemuri." Her consciousness tried to fight the Kidō, but her mind relished at the idea of rest. In an instant, she was out like a light. Stark waited a moment before asking, "Well, are you going to wake up? Nightmare's eyes fluttered open, a change from the teal catlike eyes. Her pupils were big, tears spreading down her cheek. She stared at the stallion before her, still unable to believe it. After all this time, she was in control.

"I'm awake?" Like water, Stark watched as the dark tint to the pony's fur seemingly run off her, revealing a dark blue coat. Her neck regalia shimmered, dawning a black much similar to the coat of his enemy. Even her shoe regalia shrunk, taking on a sky blue. "Thank you." Stark wasn't sure what to do as the pony before him tried to crawl closer to him. Change screamed to keep his distance, but her pitiful display tugged at his heart. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." He couldn't watch any further. He leaned to meet her, wrapping his hooves around her to try and help her stand. She had other ideas. Her grip was like a vise; Stark nearly ripped himself free as she tried to tug his head off. Finding he could still breathe, he relaxed as the pony kept thanking him. With hesitation, he returned the now recognized hug. It was an outcome he hadn't expected, but was glad to have.

"You're welcome, uh, miss, but I need to get someone else to the hospital. My Kidō only did so much." Her chants of thanks ended. "Can you walk on your own? I'll need to carry this other pony." Slowly, the pony in his grasp released him. Shakily, she stood, but he was sure she'd manage if he supported her.

"May we– I see her?" Looking behind him, they weren't too far from the other pony's resting place. Nodding, the two slowly walked toward the mutilated pony. His much saner companion gasped at the blue pony's sorry state. "We– I did this? How many more atrocities will I commit in my life?" Slumping into the mud, she cried, wailing into the ground. His heart went out to her, knowing full well of this type of despair.

"You weren't in control. It's not your fault." Not waiting for a reply, he went to the unconscious pony, gently lifting her up onto his back. This wouldn't be a fun trip, balancing someone on his back _and_ listening to deafening shrieking. "Come on, we need to get her to the hospital. We can figure out the rest afterward." Stark held his hoof out to her, the pony before him looking up. Her pain was obvious in every way possible. Even so, she took it and stood. "See, one step at a time. It's all we can do." The two began the walk toward civilization, the pink pony just on the edge of his senses.

"What is your name pony?" Stark looked over to the pony leaning on his shoulder as they walked. He gave her a pained smile. He had walked from one disaster directly into a new one. He'd been called many things, some downright horrible, but 'pony' was new.

"Stark Change. You?" She didn't respond right away. She had a forlorn look in her eyes, pain painting her face. Stark knew that look. He wore it a few times himself. Oddly enough, he felt he wore it for very similar reasons she did.

"I was once the princess of the Night, Princess Luna. I soon became what you saved me from, Nightmare Moon. At first, I was forced to watch as she contorted and twisted my ideals, but she grew too strong. I couldn't even watch anymore." She looked at Stark, a mix of fear and resignation on her face. "How long will I be in control?" That was the million dollar question. Stark was unsure how long his Kidō would have someone like Nightmare down.

"I'm not sure, but you're in control now. Even if she does wake up, she won't take control instantly. We'll figure something out." Stark had an idea, it was the same thing he, and even Ichigo, had to go through. He wasn't too sure about it, there were many things different between them and this pony, but it was her only hope. For now, he just hoped he could recover enough before bringing it up.


	3. Chapter 3: Shattered Spirits

**Chapter 3: Broken Ponies; Shattered Spirits**

Five ponies sat motionless inside the hospital room, one unable to do so. The doctor had come in just a few minutes prior to give his diagnoses: Complete Magic Burnout Rarity knew it, even if she wasn't medically adept. Ever since using the Elements, she hadn't been able to levitate a simple quill. Yet Twilight, being at the epicenter of the Elements, had saved them from Nightmare. She was thankful toward the purple unicorn, but nopony should be without their natural magic. Well, nopony but Nightmare Moon. She could only hope Rainbow Dash showed up soon.

Applejack's muscles were sore, her body ached, and she wanted all too much go back and drag Rainbow Dash back herself. Pinkie had been adamant though. She wasn't too confident in this stallion, nor did she trust him. Nothing good comes from ponies hanging out in the Everfree, but again, Pinkie looked just a little more like her normal self. For now, she'd wait until she was confident she could make the trip.

Fluttershy was drained. Somehow, the butterscotch pony had dredged up a lifetime worth of courage. Now she was scared beyond belief. Her mind wouldn't stop. Twilight just had the worst thing possible happen to her, Rainbow was still missing, and an evil tyrant would surely hunt them down. Her only hope was that this mystery stallion had done the impossible.

Pinkie felt so many mixed emotions. She felt horrible watching her new friend steadily breathing in her hospital bed. Hearing the horrible news about her condition didn't help. Rainbow Dash was still gone, so she was scared for her. The weird, hurt stallion also hadn't come back yet. She didn't know how he'd find her, unless, he had his own Pinkie Sense. Or would it be called a Stark Sense? Either way, she did feel strangely confident in him. It was that confidence that kept her from falling completely apart. So for now, she'd just keep hugging Fluttershy.

Applejack was the first to notice, her eyes betraying her shock. It started so small, a blip, but she watched as an inkling of sunlight made its way through the hospital window. It looked as if it was embracing Twilight's form. Steadily, it grew and expanded. Each pony began to notice, their fears burning away with the sunlight. As the room filled in with natural light, the hospital let out cheers of glee. "Ah can't believe it."

"I knew he'd do it girls." As if gauging her mood, her pink mane had puffed up. It wasn't anything like her normal mane style, but the fact it wasn't sagging against her was a good sign.

"Or perhaps our dear friend Rainbow Dash figured out something." Rarity hadn't known the Pegasus too well, not like Fluttershy or Applejack, but she did know of her stubbornness. Nothing would keep that mare down. "I wouldn't doubt she's on her way back right now."

"I hope so Rarity. I just hope to Celestia she's okay." Fluttershy had used up all her optimism. She refused to voice her concerns, praying she'd be proven wrong. The least she wanted to do was bring down the others' moods further. Fate had other plans. Ears swiveled, catching distant, near inaudible shouting followed by a growing sound of approaching hooves.

"Get this pony to the ER stat! Nurse Redheart, I want the best surgeon available now!" The door to the room was wide open. None were certain, but their hearts dropped. The pony on the gurney looked to have a rainbow mane.

Stark and Luna had took it slow through the dense forest. Stark was unsure for the longest time as the pony concentrated on something. He felt her Reiatsu move and push, but he wasn't sure on what. It soon became obvious as they were met with the shining sun. "The sun? How?"

"I may be the princess of the Night, but that doesn't mean I can't coax the sun when my sister isn't opposing me." Stark just stared, unsure if he understood properly. It nearly sounded like this pony had _moved_ a celestial body or two. Casually. "With the sun's return my sister will likely too. Assuming the worst hadn't happened." Stark nodded, hoping for the best. If the worse did come to pass, he couldn't imagine the pain Luna would be feeling. Shifting the pony on his back, the two paced onward. Passing glances to other homes showed the residences stirring. The sun all but a beacon for these ponies. "Mayhaps I should wait outside. I don't believe our ponies are ready for another Alicorn so soon." Stark made a mental note of 'Alicorn', but quickly dismissed her proposal.

"Either way you'll be noticed. Better it be casually with someone else than alone, right?" Princess Luna wasn't convinced. The very idea of her ponies screaming in fear- from her at that- had her heart in a vice. She had caused so much pain, ruined a number of lives, so why did this stallion try so hard for her? It didn't matter. If –once her sister returned, she'd likely not see the sky again. It would be for the best.

"If you think that is best." The decision was made just in time to enter the large hospital of Ponyville. While not the most exquisite or lavish, it felt homey and free of tension that most hospitals gave in ample. Hooves clopped against the wooden floor to the desk. The cream pony behind the counter looked bored out her mind. Her violet eyes bore at a clipboard in her hooves, not even daring to look up. Her curly sea blue mane bounced with each chew of her gum.

"Just sign heya. Nurse will get ya when they can." Dragging another clipboard with paperwork, she slid it to Stark. Princess Luna, even being about one thousand years out of date with customs knew this was outlandish. _How_ could she expect somepony with this level of injuries just _wait?_ As Luna was about to unleash her Royal Canterlot Voice, Stark piped in calmly.

"Mam, I don't think she can wait too much longer. She lost quite a bit of blood already." Sugar Cream was having a very dull day –or would it be night?- at the hospital. Nopony was coming in for checkups, and likely wouldn't until the sun came back up. Well, beside that one group, but she already planned on seeing them. The Everfree was dangerous for a reason. She had cleaned the front office at least four separate times since the beginning of her shift. She even went out of her way to _organize_ the filing cabinet. She wouldn't dare open that thing. For good reason too, as soon as she did, papers somehow exploded out, littering her clean, if not sparkling, work station. Now, with only but an hour left in her shift, she had _nothing_ to do. Doing the only thing that came to mind, she grabbed the nearest clipboard and began reading. It wasn't anything special; she didn't even understand most of the legal jargon, but it was passing the time.

When hooves were heard clopping to her, she somehow engrossed herself into trying to decipher just what the form before her meant. She slid the patient the registry forms, hoping not to lose her place. If she was making this thing out right, it was so the patient couldn't sue the hospital or something. Or maybe it was a consent form? Maybe she'd ask one of the senior nurses later.

Blinking, she didn't hear what the stallion said, but looked up regardless. Tired from complete boredom must had her brain running in slow motion. She couldn't understand what to process first. Looking at her, a stunning stallion with gorgeous hazel eyes nearly sent her into a panic. He looked bruised and muddy, but his mood was uncaring. To his left was a larger mare, with a flowing mane and dark blue fur. She never saw a pony with wings and horn before, besides the princess of course. For whatever reason, she looked shaky on her hooves, mud and red spots covering most of her body. The poor mare. Finally, looking back to the stallion, she saw something else. No, it was somepony. She didn't look too good. This smaller pony, likely mare, was caked with mud and grime. So much so that it looked like it was hiding her hooves. That was possible, right?

Like finally hearing the thunder after seeing a distant lightning strike, it hit her. Rainbow mane, blue fur, the pony on this stallion's back was that groups' missing friend. The dirt caking her wasn't hiding some of her features either, they were _missing._ A passing thought screamed at her, telling her that this friend _should_ have wings too. She scrambled back. Her training kicking in as her heart lurched. At the back of the office was a large bell. It was to be used in severe emergencies, a fireable offense if ever misused. Rearing back on her forehooves, she bucked the large bell. The gong possibly shook half the hospital. Her ears flattened, she would have sworn she went deaf from the sound. But it had the desired effect. Staff rushed out in seconds, stretcher quickly followed by gurney.

Stark watched as the realization dawned on the office pony. At first, he thought she was running away. When she stopped near a large bell, he instinctively flattened his ears at the deep baritone gong. In seconds, staff poured from the back doors. It looked like they were prepared for anything as different ponies came out with different equipment. He stood still as four different ponies surrounded him, discussing with each other what they saw was wrong. All quite obvious, but felt surprised as they deduced possible internal injuries and what to treat first. Gently and carefully, the burden was lifted from him, bypassing the stretcher and put to the gurney directly. Within a minute, his passenger was gone.

"Sir, you appeared to be injured as well. You should come with me." Stark looked to the green pegasus before him. Briefing a glance to the princess, he found her equally assaulted. Somehow the pony before him held a clipboard in her wings with ease. A quill was tucked behind her ear, he felt a radiant confidence from the nurse.

"We'll be alright, but thank you though. If you could take us to, um, Pinkie, I'd be grateful." Chiding himself with nearly forgetting her name, Stark gave the pony a reassuring smile. He wasn't lying. He hated calling it Instant Regeneration, it took _much_ longer than instant, but Rapid was definitely true. Broken bones took a lot of Reiryoku, but needed to be repaired quickly in deadly combat. Scratches and cuts, however, weren't worth the effort. They'd heal soon enough. The same was true with his companion, perhaps even quicker. Besides her wobbly stature and mud caked fur, she didn't look worse for wear.

"If you're certain sir. If you'd follow me–" whatever the mare before him was saying was drowned out by an ocean of Reiatsu. His head jerk toward the ceiling as if looking straight through. Stark wasn't the only one to feel the burning Reiatsu push down on them. Princess Luna's heart jerked. She felt conflicted between elation and consuming fear. Her sister was alive and well. That didn't bode well for her. At current pace, her sister would be here–

"Luna?!" The four remaining ponies in the lounge looked toward what was left of the hospital entrance. The doors had flew open so quickly the hinges couldn't sustain the impact. No one was hurt, but Sugar Cream would be furious once the shock wore off. "Luna, little sister, it's you." Stark watched in awe as the pristine white Alicorn stocked toward the smaller, yet still taller than him, Alicorn. Princess Luna, he noticed, was frozen. It didn't matter to the other though. She towered over Princess Luna and embraced her in a warm sobbing hug. The room was silent as the white Alicorn thanked 'Faust' for giving her sister back. It was enough to surge the smaller Alicorn's emotions, returning the affection with gusto. A warm surge of emotion swarmed his being. Even Change stayed silent. This type of reunion was only brought about by heartbreaking separation. For now, he'd leave the two sisters alone.

"Could you take me to Pinkie now?" He whispered to the Green Pegasus. She nodded to him, leading him to the double doors toward the back.

"Are you sure you don't want any medical services? You have some very concerning abrasions sir." Stark agreed. He was hurting, tired, and starving. His returning Reiryoku went into healing the major cuts that had thankfully stopped bleeding. Thinking further on it, he had to admit if he looked just as bad as he felt then he'd likely scare the pink pony and her friends.

"Stark is fine, and I'm sure. However, if you had somewhere I could clean up, that would be great." The green mare scrutinized his injuries, curling her nose in disagreement, but didn't argue. Stark appreciated the concern. This pony hadn't just assumed he'd be okay. Then again, where he came from, most didn't care or knew of his healing abilities.

"Misty Green is my name Mr. Change. We have a public facility you can use. I'll take you there first. I just urge you to reconsider." Not wanting to argue, he nodded.

 ** _Mr. Change, huh? You should move over. She obviously wants to talk to me._** Stark snorted in amusement. It would take Change less than a full sentence to have his nurse running from him. **_Says the guy who made the first creature that saw him cry. Can't say I blame her with your ugly mug._**

 _You know you both look nearly identical right?_ Stark cringed as Change screeched in laughter. He could almost feel Kusari's eyes rolling. This was his normal life. It was almost worrying how little their dynamic has changed since their arrival.

"Here you are Mr. Change. I'll be waiting here for you." Thanking the nurse, he entered the restroom, finding the showers deep in the back. Three lined the wall, curtains providing a modicum of privacy. He found all necessities and quickly cleaned himself. Blood and dirt alike fell from him. The hot water relaxed his tense muscles. He made a note to take a longer, hotter shower when he could.

 _No matter how I look at it, you have such an odd new form._ Stark hummed as he tried his hardest to clean his tail. _The fact you can still grip objects with hooves is baffling. You're not even using any reiatsu as a supplement._

 ** _I know one thing those cloppers can't do._** Rolling his eyes, Stark let his other half's laughter echo in his head. **_I know you know Stark. How about it? Want to see if we got an upgrade?_** Yep, Change was definitely a collection of his raw instincts.

Finding himself clean, Stark dried off and threw his towel into a 'dirty cloth' bin. Wonder taking him, he looked into the mirror. His face had healed nearly completely. Only a small cut on his chin remained. His side and back left leg still had a deep cuts. At current rate, he'd guess a day before he'd be healed. Another to be back at one hundred percent. Admittedly, he felt drained and wore out. A long, deep sleep was just around the corner for him.

"You look better than you did." Misty admitted as he walked out. He bet he did too. "Come on, we'll find your friends just up ahead." Taking a corner, the two found a group of ponies being blocked by a gaggle of nurses. Stark didn't know what was happening, but he caught some very large blue eyes.

"Starky!"

Pinkie was scared, upset, and angry. She would had sworn on the stars that was Rainbow Dash they were shouting about. It was an instant, but she trusted her eyes, her heart. One of her best friends were really hurt and these meanie nurses wouldn't let her pass. Why? She could help. Okay, maybe not, but she could help Dashie smile. That counted. So why wouldn't they let her go. Or any of them for that matter?

"I'm sorry Ms. Pie but Rainbow Dash is in serious condition. She's being prepped for surgery now." The four friends couldn't believe what they were hearing. "Please, head to the waiting room and we'll keep you updated once an hour."

"How bad is it? Can you tell us that much?" The five nurses looked to one another before back to the group. The lead nurse, a white Earth Pony, sighed.

"Well, your friend Rainbow Dash ha–"

"Starky!" Stark wasn't a fan of the nickname for one, but he hadn't the time to comment before being tackled by the pink pony. He didn't know how, but she had blitzed through the nurses, passed Misty, and through his guard. He found himself on his back being hugged –more like strangled- by this pony.

"You made it! You're back like you said you would. You won right? You saved Dashie right? What happened to her?" Leaning off him, she looked at him. "Please, please, please tell me." Gently, he lifted the pink mare off him. His chest was still sore from Nightmare's well planned punch. Having someone tackle him didn't help any either.

"I'd also like to know." Looking to the Misty Green, she continued. "I can pass on whatever you know to the surgeon. Any information you can give could be critical." The others approached, wanting to know as much as they could.

"Rainbow Dash, the pony I brought in, had severe wounds. A number of internal injuries, likely fatal if not treated promptly." Stark noticed Pinkie and the butterscotch Pegasus gasp teary eyed. He didn't know whether to continue or not. Cursing himself, he knew they'd find out sooner or later. "She had lost large portions of all her legs. The entirety of her wings were gone, likely a final effort to save herself." The orange Earth Pony was the only one holding up, the other three taking the news much harder. She had tried to bring all of them into a large hug, comforting them as best she could. "My best guess? Nightmare used a form of searing reiatsu that Rainbow Dash just managed to survive." 'Survive' might not had been the right word to use. He didn't know how the pony would have a life after this.

 ** _See Stark. This is the price of heroes. We're no hero got that. We live and let die like we always have._** Stark sneered at his inner voice. He _never_ made that choice. Everyone that he let die was Change's decision not his.

 _Be smart in your battles Stark. Emotions might drive you like everyone else, but you have the mind to control yourself. That is your strength, never lose that._ Smarts were his weapon, not pride or brute strength. Even goaded, he had to keep cool. Sometimes victory meant sacrifice. And sometimes, that sacrifice wasn't worth the victory.

"If that is all, I'll relay this to the doctors in charge. Thank you Mr. Change." With her piece done, she, as well as the rest of the nurses, left the group. Feeling awkward, he looked everywhere but at the crying ponies before him.

"Thanks fer bringin' her back." He looked back at the strong willed Earth Pony. She too was holding back her pain. "She's a stubborn one that girl." _Her_ face flashed in his mind. She was like that too. It's what he loved about her though.

"She'll make it." He didn't know what else to say. If it was possible, he'd ask Orihime to heal the pony, however, something told him having complete access to this world would bring even bigger trouble. Instead, he focused on the other pony of this group who was brought here. "Pinkie mentioned someone else. How is she?" The three other ponies broke from the orange one.

"Our dear friend Twilight also went through a terrible ordeal." The white Unicorn spoke softly. "She lost all her magic saving us from that evil Alicorn." Stark's eyes widened. The same thing happened to Ichigo after the fight with Sosuke Aizen. It took nearly eighteen months to devise a way to get them back.

"It's over now, right?" Looking at the butter yellow Pegasus, she looked scared. If Nightmare was still on the loose, he couldn't blame her for being scared.

"Yeah. The rightful owner is back in control." They looked confused so he elaborated. "Nightmare was a separate entity controlling Luna. Luna is now back in control." The four shared a look before Pinkie took a step forward.

"But is she gone? Nightmare won't came back will she?" Stark always knew that questioned swam in the heads of many he knew. 'He won't come back will he?' 'Are you sure he can't take over again?'

 ** _Are you going to do it? You better decide soon or it won't go well._** Stark decided to be honest with the group. Honest about Nightmare at least. "If left alone for too long, Nightmare will come back." He let the ponies' horrified gasps dissipate before continuing. "But I have a plan to help Luna. I'll be here a little while anyway."

"If you say so Starky. I'll believe you. Come in here, I'll introduce you to Twilight while we wait." Pinkie had a small pep to her step, but even Stark knew the pony was far from alright. Humoring her, he and the others followed her into Twilight's room.

"Hey Twilight, this is the pony that kicked Nightmare's flank for us. When you wake up, be sure to thank him." To Stark, the small purple unicorn looked to just be sleeping. Her breathing was steady, and she didn't look in pain. The only telling was the small frown held on her face.

 _Her Reiatsu is vanishing quickly. It won't be long now._ Stark knew Kusari was right. Once her spiritual pressure faded, it wouldn't be long before her reserves emptied too. "When will she wake up?"

"Within a day." The pearl white unicorn supplied with a half-smile. That was good in the very least. "We'll be here to help her when she does." With the mood sobering, the unicorn's eyes lit up. "Oh my, where are our manners? My name is Rarity Belle, you can just call me Rarity." Pointing at the orange, Stetson-wearing pony, she continued, "And this is Applejack, the local apple farmer of Ponyville."

"Pleasure meetin' ya." Holding out a hoof, Stark unsurely did the same. Hooves connected, she shook. He wasn't quite sure _how_ she had a firm grip, but she did.

"This shy dear is Fluttershy." The butter Pegasus Rarity was pointing too 'eeped' and tried her best to hide under her mane. "Don't let her act fool you, she can be very brave if she has to be." Seeing the Pegasus wasn't in the mood for shaking, he nodded at her. Change snorted inside his head when the Pegasus flinched back as if hit. "Relax darling, we're safe now."

"And you already know me." Said pink mare tried to look happy and energetic, a huge smile plastered on her face, but the bags under her eyes spoke volumes louder. Just looking at her reminded him how drained he felt. Between his hissy-fit he through getting to this world, unexpectedly changing forms, the long training session, and restricted fight with Nightmare, he was ready for a long rest.

"I do," Stark sighed. "Listen, I know the sun just came up, but is there anywhere for me to rest. It's been a long day, night, whatever." The four ponies looked to one another as if they were having an unspoken conversation. Even now, he couldn't begin to understand a woman's mind.

 _And you never will._

"It's been decided that you can stay in my boutique," Rarity smiled. He had so many questions, but decided against any of them. He wouldn't understand anyway. "Follow me darling. I'll get you setup before coming back."

"Thank you, I really appreciate it."


	4. Chapter 4: Awaken

**Chapter 4: Awaken**

 ** _Come on! Come on! Come on! Is this the best you got?!_** Stark parried and narrowly blocked each ferocious blow from his hollow. He was on the losing side of this match, sporting a number of nasty wounds he'd have to deal with in the real world.

"You and I know this isn't," his breath caught as his right foreleg received a deep cut, "this isn't the most ideal form to be stuck in." Deep inside the void of his Inner World, Stark and Change fought. Change, of course, wasn't limited to an equine form, using the full range of his combative skills. Both wielded Kusari's blade, Stark's pommel adapting to his new form. Small chain lengths wrapped around his foreleg and hoof, securing the blade to him. With a thought, Kusari would respond and shift the chains allowing the blade to move however Stark deemed fit. It was by far no hand, but it worked well enough.

Well enough being not even close for his more savage, humanoid double. His blade was Stark's double, only the colors inverting. Stark wielded what could only be described as bright, platinum chain-blade; the guard and hilt a deep crimson. The chain wrapped his foreleg matched the blade.

For Change, the chain-blade had an air of death with the crimson lengths while the platinum hilt never dirtied as if saying he'd never be touched. The first time seeing Change hold Kusari's blade made him feel dirty. It wasn't his power to hold. Perhaps that was why could use it better.

"Bind!" With a swing of his blade, the chain extended, fully intending wrapping and burying deep into the enemy fiercer than any cobra. It was a split second, but Stark saw the grin forming on his double's face before speeding away with Sonido. Just out of reach of his extended blade, Change reappeared, his hand extended in a very familiar way.

 ** _Cero!_** Much like the Bala Stark used against Nightmare, the much more powerful stream of Reiatsu burned toward him in all its hazel glory. Retracting Kusari, Stark didn't have time to dodge. Well, two could play it that way.

"Bakudō number thirty-nine," placing his left foreleg against his blade, he channeled his Reiatsu, "Enkōsen!" A large plate of Reiatsu formed in front of Stark just in time for the Cero to slam into it. The Hadō actually cracked at the strength pounding into it, letting licks of hazel spiritual energy through. Gritting his teeth, Stark knew it was going to be a test of endurance. He couldn't move a muscle, and Change wouldn't let up. The only positive was that he wasn't actually wasting any Reiryoku since they were in his Inner World.

 _That's enough for now you too._ Stark let out a sigh as the force on his Bakudō faded. He would had sworn he heard Change tsk in disappointment as Kusari approached, he arms folded under her bosom. _You're getting better._ Stark snorted, holding out his forelegs so she could see just how well he 'improved'.

"Doesn't feel like it." If Change really wanted too, he could had made ribbons of him like this. To be fair, with as many cuts he had, he felt like Change wanted to make that point obvious.

 _Today you actually wielded me. You couldn't even do that yesterday._ Stark visibly flinched. Out of everything that happened yesterday, the pained, disappointed look Kusari gave after failing to wield her blade hurt the most. _Stop blaming yourself child, I'm not mad at you._ Sitting on her knees, she wrapped her arms around his neck. _You are strong and I'll always be proud to be your partner._ Stark didn't quite know how to return Kusari's affection in this form, but he settled on a single hoof hug. Even if Stark never admitted it, Kusari was more like a mom to him than his Zanpakutō.

 ** _Blah. How long are you going to make me watch this?_** Reluctantly, Kusari broke the hug, glaring at his other half. **_What? You wanna go?_** Stark took a step forward, a fire burning in his gut. **_Now that's the feeling I'm talking about. Harden up so we don't have to deal with these piss ants hurting us anymore than they have._** With his final piece said, Change vanished, leaving the other two alone.

 _I can't help but agree that we've already been hurt once. It's fresh, we all feel it. You should stop running and confront it. Then we can move on and maybe ever return to where we belong._ With her piece said, she vanished like Change. With those two bringing it up, his heart ached and memories swarmed him. They were good memories, fun memories, more than he ever imagine, but they were fake. He didn't know how she could do that to him: to tell him nearly two years of love was a lie.

"Gah! Fuck it! It doesn't matter anyway." Pushing the blistering thoughts back down, he began wondering what to do. This new form was still nowhere near ready to open a Garganta strong enough to reach Hueco Mundo. He could keep training, but he did make a promise. Luna would need to be dealt with before he left. That would be just about as fun as shoving a searing pick through his eye.

Whispers. Murmurs. She didn't know when they started, but she wished they'd stop. Her head was pounding and her eyes were crusted shut. A grunt escaped her lips as her head lolled about. They stopped; the noise was gone. Thank Celestia.

"Twilight? Twi, you awake?" Why did they have to yell? Didn't they know her head was killing her? What made it hurt so badly in the first place? She couldn't remember a thing. Wait, did she get drunk? She had read enough books on what too much alcohol could do and this matched up pretty – ouch, okay enough thinking. Opening her eyes, the searing light made the task nearly impossible. "She's awake! Rare's get a nurse!"

"I got it!" Her ears folded, afraid the screeching voices would cause her brain to leak out. Now her stomach felt upset. If this was a hangover, she'd never touch another alcoholic beverage again.

"Thank you Pinkie." Lifting her hooves to block the light, her eyes finally caught different colored blurs. "Darling, are you okay? Is there something you need?"

"Quiet. Head hurt." The colors registered in her head enough to know the ponies: orange and white. A yellow one looked to be coming closer too. Good enough. The light was making her head split ever further. She covered her eyes with her forelegs, relishing in the slight relief. "What happened?" She was curious, but she wasn't upset none of them answered right away. The more quiet the better.

"Do–do you remember anything?" Fluttershy, even her nearly inaudible voice scraped against her eardrums. Taking a deep breath, she tried to recall the events. She had come to Ponyville for the Summer Sun Festival. She talked to many of the ponies about the event, most of them quite odd. By the time festival was about to begin, Princess Celestia didn't show up. It was–it was another Alicorn.

Nightmare Moon.

Everything flood back to her. The Everfree, Manticore, cliff, sea serpent, bridge, everything. She remembered the Elements didn't work and–she couldn't breathe. The pain, the searing agony, the desire to save everypony with her. She ignored the pain in her head, opening her eyes to look at the three ponies in her room. They all looked haggard and exhausted, but held a small relieved smile. The room didn't look familiar, but she was obviously hurt. A hospital then. Pinkie and Rainbow Dash, where were they? They're okay, right?

"What happened after the Elements failed? I–I used a shield spell, but that's it. Everypony's okay, right?" Their smiles drooped. No, it couldn't be. It failed, _she_ failed. Everything was her fault, all of it.

"Don't worry about Pinkie dear. She just went to fetch a doctor." Relief flood her. Celestia couldn't be thanked enough for that. But, wait, what about– "Rainbow Dash, um, I–I don't know what to say." Rarity was starting to cry. No. No! No! No!

"Rainbow, she saved us after ya passed out. Rarity thought ya were hurt pretty bad, so we had ta get ya ta the hospital. Rainbow stayed back ta distract that evil Alicorn." Twilight's brain ran a mile a second, the pain all but forgotten. It would be almost impossible to fight Nightmare Moon after just using the Elements. She remembered feeling exhausted, barely able to move after using them. Rainbow had to be feeling some of those affects herself. Even at her best, facing an Alicorn head on was suicidal.

"It wasn't long after we arrived that Rainbow Dash was brought in." Fluttershy's voice was cracking. Twilight knew it wasn't good news. "They had to bring her to the ER. She–she." It was at that moment Pinkie charged back into the room. Her forelegs dug into the floor as she tried to stop, but instead ended up flipping herself a number of times before slamming into the back wall, her butt sticking straight up. Pinkie being Pinkie, gave a huge smile from the floor.

"Hiya Twilight! I'm _so_ happy you're awake!" The crash Pinkie made folded Twilight's ears as the pounding in her head doubled. Followed behind, a nurse and doctor had followed. The white Earth Pony nurse looked to be forcing a smile. The Earth Pony stallion, however.

"I'm Dr. Horse. Unfortunately, I'm your doctor." Dr. Horse wore quite the sarcastic smile. The nurse nudged him with her foreleg. "What?" Looking back at her, the doctor continued. "Now, I'm going to ask you a question. Answer honestly." Off-put by the doctor, Twilight nodded. "Are you stupid?" It took a second to register the actual question.

"Um, no?" Twilight still wasn't sure why the doctor would ask her something like that. She was the most learned pony around in her own opinion. Maybe not in the medical field to be, say, a doctor, but she had read all about the equine body.

"Now hold yer tongue buster. What gives ya the right ta walk in and insult ma friend like that?" Applejack was heated about the insult. By the looks, the other three were on the verge of saying something too if Applejack hadn't first.

"See nurse Redheart, all patients lie." He commented with a dramatic eye roll. "If you weren't stupid, you'd never ran off to fight an Alicorn."

"What?" The seriousness to his tone nearly made her reel back. "If I–If we didn't do it, then Equestria would have been stuck in darkness forever! She had to be stopped!" How could somepony be upset about her selfless actions? Her new friends, they all threw everything they had to save Equestria.

"And how did that work? Four of you came back smelling worse than my nurse's litterbox, and the other two nearly died. Great job." Twilight felt her heart get stabbed by only one little word. Two. She wasn't the only one who almost died. In fairness, all of them nearly did. But right now, only five of them were in the room. That only left one other pony. She was about to ask when the doctor looked to his nurse. "And yes, that was a total quip about your cooch."

"Eep!"

The pure unprofessionalism behind this doctor was unbelievable. She didn't have the words to express it, but the nurse retaliated quite well. With a quick smack with her hoof, she left the room.

"You–You uncouth brute. How could you _ever–_ " The doctor completely ignored her as he limped toward Twilight's bed. He didn't look upset about the slap in the slightest.

"I don't know what you were thinking and I don't really care either. If you weren't stupid, then you'd know there is a fine line between bravery and suicidal. Each one of you nearly took that jump. Your other friend might as well have." Too stunned to even mutter a word, the stallion reached out and grabbed her horn, jerking her head left and right then up and down. "No feeling. Because of your actions, you just lost your magic." With his final diagnosis, he ignored them all as he limped out of the room. Twilight realized what the doctor had done. It was an aggressive method to check, but it was quick. Any other time, touching another's horn, let alone jerking it about, would cause an involuntary reaction at best. A spark, a flame, something to get their horn free. Hers didn't do a thing. She could feel her breathing pick up. Her headache was all but forgotten as she pillaged her being for a spark of magic, anything. There was nothing. Her horn was nothing more than an ornament now. And that _scared_ her.

"Shh, it's going to be okay. Just breathe Twilight, we're here for you." The feeling of Fluttershy's warm embraced eased her a margin. One by one, the others joined her, snuggling close to her.

"What happened to Rainbow Dash?" Twilight felt her friends tighten around her. This wasn't going to be good.

Stark had just exited Jinzen. His everything hurt. As he stood on his shaky legs, he couldn't help but sigh at the stain his injuries left in the grass. He was glad he took his training outside and into the open field on the outskirts of town. If anyone had saw him, especially witnessing an injury happen, they'd think he was being attack by ghosts. He didn't miss the irony either. Still, he wasn't at his best, but he had enough Reiryoku to stem the bleeding. Yeah, at current pace, it would be another few days before his Reiryoku fully recovered. Even then, his body wasn't used to the full power of his Reiatsu, so that would take even more time.

"Hey, have you seen Twilight. Purple unicorn, stands yay tall?" Stark took the few moments to watch what he could only describe as a bipedal lizard talking to the ponies with a rushed expression. He didn't look like he was having a good time. The unicorn shook her head before the little thing ran up to him. "You! Have you seen Twilight? Purple unicorn, stands yay tall?" He watched the little guy stand on his tiptoes. Even so, it did match the pony he met in the hospital.

"The pony who went to fight Nightmare with her friends?" His face lit up, shaking his head frantically. He didn't know who–or what really–this little guy was to Twilight, but he looked upset. "Yeah. I'm going to see them now actually. They're at the hospital."

"Hospital? Hold on Twilight, I'm coming." To see the little guy try and run was adorable as much as he hated to admit it. The fact that he was running in the wrong way was also kind of funny.

"Wrong way. You should follow me." The little lizard stopped in his tracks before looking over his shoulder. Just as quickly, he ran back to Stark's side. As Stark began to lead the way, he felt little claws dig into this back before a weight set on him. It wasn't anything, barely even noticeable, but he still glared up toward his unwarranted passenger.

"Um, sorry." His little faced flushed. "Twilight told me I shouldn't jump on other's back so freely." Sighing, he started heading toward the hospital. In retrospect, this was the fastest way, even with him just walking at his casual pace. "So, how do you know the others? I don't remember seeing you during the party."

"Pinkie found me in the forest during the Nightmare fiasco." Stark had been doing some thinking and found that keeping his particular skillset secret was the safest move. For now, the less who knew the truth the better. "The names Stark Change."

"Makes about as much sense as everything else." Spike huffed on his back. "I just woke up not long ago to find the sun out, but Twilight wasn't back. How long has it been since it came back up?" Stark pondered the idea. It had been about five hours or so. At best, he only managed a few hours sleep before getting restless. "Oh, uh, I'm spike by the way."

"Five, maybe six hours at the most. Last I saw, Twilight was still asleep so she may not be awake yet." The hospital was in sight and Stark was beginning to get a feeling of foreboding.

"I bet Twilight and the others mopped the floor with Nightmare Moon. I wouldn't doubt if Twilight sent her right back to the moon." Stark couldn't help but feel bad for the little guy. He had to be a young, uh, whatever. Twilight must be his adopted mother or something.

"Spike, before we go in, you should know something very important." Stopping, he looked at the kid on his back. That's all he could see when he looked into his slit eyes. "Twilight went through a bad ordeal. From what I know, she lost her Rei–err, magic. Be mindful of that, okay." The poor kid, he wasn't quite ready for that. His eyes widened and his claws dug a little harder into his back. He couldn't blame him. "Alright, let's head in."

Twilight couldn't believe it. Her friends bared her the bad news. Rainbow Dash, the prismatic, flight-loving Pegasus of the group was utterly mutilated by Nightmare Moon. She was alive, somehow, but how could she live? The crippling realization of losing her magic wasn't a candle match to this. This–This was her fault. There was no way, even if she had her magic, to make this better.

Then there was that stallion Pinkie spoke highly of. An Earth Pony, lost in the Everfree Forest, had come to Rainbow's rescue and _defeated_ Nightmare Moon _._ That couldn't have been possible. The very artifacts designed to stop evil failed. Even the strongest Earth Pony likely wouldn't even be able to scratch an Alicorn.

But the proof was in the sky. The sun was out, setting normally now. That would be scary for a while: the fear the sun wouldn't rise the following morning. And what of Princess Celestia? Was she back now? She had to be with the sun in the sky. Then what was she doing? Could she help her, help Rainbow Dash? She hoped so.

She was pulled from her thoughts as a knock came from the door. It was likely the girls. They went to grab a bite to eat, her meal already finished. "Come in." The door swung open than she expected as an unfamiliar face greeted her. What caught her attention more was the small dragon run toward her. She instinctively reached for him with her magic, wanting nothing more than to hug the stuffing out of him. Her gut sunk as nothing happened, a brutal reminder of her burnout.

Spike hopped up onto her bed, both hugging the other tightly. She was so happy he was safe and sound. Tears streaked her cheek as she pulled him tighter. "I missed you Twilight. I'm so glad you're okay. I promise I'll help you even more around the library. You–You can count on me to be there Twilight." Her heart melted; her throat choking back a sob.

"Thank you Spike." He knew somehow that she lost her magic, but knowing he'd be there for her really helped. Baby dragon or no, it meant the world to her.

She wasn't sure how long she stayed like that, but she recalled a stallion at the door. Said stallion wasn't there anymore though. "Spike, who brought you here?" Backing off toward the side of the bed, he looked at the door too.

"Well, Stark did. He came to see how you were doing. Weird he just kind of left like that." Twilight smiled. She had to thank the stallion for giving her and Spike some privacy.

"Do you think you can go find him for me? I want to meet him." Spike gave her a quick salute before jumping off her bed and racing off. She was beginning to get tired. She'd been out of it off and on since she first woke up. As she closed her eyes, it felt like only a second before she heard another knock.

"Sorry Twilight. I didn't think it'd be so hard to find him." She opened her eyes to see a large Earth Pony with brown fur and hazel eyes. His mane and tail were shorter than most, a red tint differentiating between his fur. He looked strong, but how in the seven pits of Tartarus could be beat an Alicorn.

"Hello Twilight. My name is Stark Change. You're awake, that's good." She nodded, not exactly knowing what the stallion wanted. She didn't want to be rude, and in part, she did have him to thank, she guessed.

"Y–yeah. My name is Twilight Sparkle. I heard you saved us from Nightmare Moon." It was minuet, but she noticed a frown on his face. She couldn't help but wonder what that meant.

"As far as I'm concerned, your friends saved you. As for your other friend, I just so happened to find and carry her back to safety." That–That didn't add up at all. The others told her that Nightmare was defeated and Princess Luna was saved. What was going _on_!?

"But, that doesn't make any sense! My friends told me you beat her and saved Princess Luna." Stark let out a sigh, taking a seat on the floor. _What is this stallion up to?_ She couldn't help but glare at the stallion.

"Yes, I fought Nightmare Moon and recovered Rainbow Dash. Lu–Princess Luna also walked back with me before another Alicorn appeared and took her away." That poked her interest and relieved her more than she even knew. Princess Celestia was back. It was likely only a matter of time before she arrived to talk to her about everything, or, at the very least, send her a letter.

"But I think it might be better to say you and your friends stopped this Nightmare. There would be too many questions on how a lone pony defeated an Alicorn." She agreed with that. She was one of them that likely held the most questions about it. "It would be easier to believe a group of six ponies, two nearly giving their life, were the ones who saved the day."

"But that's not true." She debated fervently. " _You_ did it, right. _How_ did you do it?" The very Elements of Harmony couldn't do it, so she was extremely curious how he managed.

"See, that's a question numerous others will ask. The only fact you need to know was that I got lucky. She was tired and weak. It gave me enough room to knock her out and give Princess Luna control of her facilities." Luck, this stallion was going to claim he just got lucky? He was right about one thing: Nightmare Moon was likely _very_ exhausted. Enough so that a single Earth Pony could knock her out? Doubtful at best.

"I wish this was just a bad dream." She meant to only think it, but her thoughts escaped her lips. Spike crawled back into her bed and snuggled into her. The stallion gave a light nod. "It's–it's going to take a lot of time to get used to having no magic. I relied so much on it as a filly, and now, it's gone."

"Yeah. Being separated from a part of yourself is crushing." She looked at the stallion, wondering how he knew what she was feeling. He didn't speak further, however.

"Do you know what hurts the most right now?" She looked the stallion in the eyes. She hated this feeling; it tore deeply into her. "Knowing it's my fault. If it was just my magic, I'd be sad, depressed even." As she sniffled, she noticed Stark shift awkwardly. Still, she just had to say it. "But knowing I took _Rainbow's_ life from her, knowing she'd never flight, never even _walk_ again. How do I deal with that?" She was crying hardily now. Her heart ached more than her horn ever did. "I–I wish I could just give Rainbow her life back."

Stark didn't know what to say. His heart went out to the sobbing pony before him. The guilt, he felt, would destroy this pony well before depression. What _could_ he say? The amount of injuries the pony had, she'd never recover. Someone would need to look after her for the rest of her life.

 ** _Alright fuck face. Stop wracking your little brain about this shit. Stupid people do stupid things and have to deal with the stupid consequences. You know that from experience._ **Stark didn't dignify that with a response. He didn't have a clue on _how_ he could help either of them.

 _Anything that could work would be dangerous and life threatening for all of us. Even trying to take steps to help them would be a bad idea._ It wasn't often that Kusari agreed with Change. He had to remember his moto: There are always sacrifices for victories, but some victories aren't worth the sacrifices. Stark knew, even without an idea, if he wanted these ponies to have such a huge victory, it would take a huge sacrifice. For now, he'd think on it. If he came up with something that wouldn't hurt him, he'd let them decide. ****


End file.
